Strengthened playing racket



18, 1944- H. HALL 2,339-,393

. STRENGTHENED PLAYING RACKET Filed Juiy 19. 1940' Patented Jan. 18, 1944 UNITED sTATEsrATENT OFFICE STRENGTHENED PLAYING RAC/KET Horace W. Hall, Newton,'Mass.

Application July 19, 1940, Serial No. 346,341

3 Claims. (Cl. 273-73) This invention relates to playing rackets, and the principal object of my invention is to reinforce the throat member and inside reinforcing piece at the lower portion of the curved bow head of the racket, particularly at the upper corner portions of the throat, in such a manner that the glue joints will not be broken when the longitudinal strings are pulled tight or when sub- `iected to the strains and shocks of severe play.

In pulling the longitudinal stringsof a racket tight the curved bow head oftentimes is pulled out of shape so that the inside crescent reinforcing piece or pieces, which extends inside the racket curved bow head across the top of the throat and up the shoulders, is sometimes pulled slightly away from the throat and the glue joints between said inside reinforcing piece and throat, and between said throat and racket main frame, are fractured. This happens despite the fact that pieces of wood are commonly aixed to the face portions of the racket at this point that extend down the shoulders and across the upper portion of the throat, covering the joints between the throat and inside reinforcing pieces. In

order to avoid splitting of the wood from the shock of play the grain of the wood used in these pieces runs down the shoulder; so it does not provide the strength or resistance crosswise of the shoulder to prevent fracturing some of the throat joints when the racket is being strung. It is my three-fold object to preserve the needed strength of the usual shoulder face laminations, to add new strength to protect the joints between the said throat and inside reinforcing piece and between the throat and main frame of the racket, and to lighten the racket by omitting the use of any face reinforcements on the throat except at the upper corner portions of said throat.

The foregoing and other objects which will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, may be accomplished by a construction, combination and arrangement of parts such as is disclosed by the drawing and specification. The nature of the invention is such as to render it susceptible to Various changes and modifications, and, therefore, I am not to be limited to said disclosure; but am entitled to all such changes therefrom as fall within the scope of my claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevational View of a playing racket, shown broken away at the handle, embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a similar view to Figure l; but

showing laminated shoulder reinforcing pieces, and laminated inside reinforcing pieces extending across the throat.

Figure 3 is a similar View to Figure 1; but showing laminated strengthening members extending across the upper corner portions of the throat.

Figure 4 is a similar view to Figure 1,`but showing all of the reinforcing members of larn nated construction.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary View of that portion of the playing racket visible between the lines 5-5 of Figure 1 when looking in the direction of the arrows. i Y

Figure 6 is a fragmentary View of that portion of the playing racket visible between the'lines 6 6 of Figure 3 when lookingv in the direction of the arrows.

As illustrated, the mainframe F of the racket consists of a curved bow head IU, both sides of which join together at an intermediate or throat portion I2 thereof to continue-in the form of a handle II. In the space between the two parts forming said intermediate portion I2 is a throat member T which may be solid, or consist oftwo side pieces I4 and a center piece I5 united' together, as I have illustrated.

Extending across the top of said throat member T and up both shoulders of said curved bow head i3 is Yan inside, crescent-shaped, reinforcing member I6 which consists of one piece as illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawing, or it may consist of several laminations I'I as illustrated in Figures 2, 3 and 4. Y

On the face of the racket and extending up'the shoulders thereof are reinforcing laminations I8 which may consist of a single piece of wood as shown in Figures 1 and 3 of the drawing, or may consist of a plurality of laminations I9 united together into a unit as shown in Figures 2 and 4 of the drawing. The grain of the wood in these shoulder reinforcing members extend substantially longitudinally down the said shoulders in order to withstand the shocks lof hard play that travel up or down the shoulders of the racket.A

It will be observed that there are'joints between the throat member T and the intermediate parts I2 of the bow head II) and also between said throat member T and the inside reinforcing member I5 or I 1. AWhen theracket isbeing strung the tightening of the strings that extend longitudinally of said bow head tend to pull the said inside reinforcing member away from the throat, and sometimes to fracture the joints between the upper corner portions of said throat member T and said intermediate parts I2 of the main frame. Inasmuch as the grain in the face reinforcing members I8 or I9 extends longitudinally, they do not provide sufcient holding strength to insure against the fracturing of said throat joints and the pulling away of said inside reinforcing members I6 or II.

To provide the necessary reinforcement of said throat joints and also lighten the weight of the racket I providestrengthening or holding face pieces 2l)A which extend across the faces of said inside reinforcing members I6 or I'I and across the upper corner portions of said throat member T and across said intermediate parts I2 of the main frame thereby tying these parts together. They may be of greater length in the di rection across as aforesaid than in a direction down the shoulders of the racket, as illustrated. In an ordinary tennis racket, for instance, said face pieces may measure about M3 to 1" across and 5/3" down the shoulder, although the size may be varied considerably.

The grain of the wood in said face holding pieces 20 extends across said throat joints as illustrated in Figures l and 2 of the drawing, and when said holding pieces are made of laminations 2| the joints between the laminations likewise run across said throat joints as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 of the drawing, and preferably the grain too. With such face holding pieces 20, pulling of the longitudinal strings or other longitudinal strain does not split said face pieces or tend to pull them apart, as they can withstand even unusual pulls on them in the same direction as the grain runs.

Said face holding pieces preferably abut against the lower edge of said shoulder reinforcing members I8, and they need extend only a short distance sidewise, leaving the main portion of said throat member T uncovered, as i1.- lustrated. Heretofore, it has been considered necessary to have said shoulder reinforcing face members I8 or I9 extend al1 or nearly all the way across the upper portion of said throat member in an effort to attain sufl'lcient reinforcement for said throat joints, which noticeably added to the weight of the racket in the head. Now, with my face holding pieces 29 or 2l the racket can be noticeably lightened in the head because said holding pieces placed across said throat joints in the upper corner portions of said throat member T are so strong with the grain running crosswise, as shown, that they provide suflicient holding or tying strength for the jointed parts they reinforce even though most of the upper portion of said throat member T is left uncovered.

Said face holding pieces 2U are preferably tapered towards the center of the throat as illustrated in Figures 5 and 6 of the drawing. Their thickness may vary between 31e" and or more either way.

At the base of said throat member a small piece 23 reinforces the joints between said throat member T and handle I I.

What I claim is:

1. A playing racket main frame embodying a curved bow head, a handle, and intermediate portions between said bow head and handle, a throat member between said intermediate portions of said frame, a reinforcing member inside the said curved bow head above and united to the top of said throat member, the upper portions of lsaid throat member extending sidewise and terminating in corner portions between said inter- 5 mediate frame portions and said inside reinforcing member thereby leaving joints between said inside reinforcing member and said frame intermediate portions, wooden strengthening and holding members extending across the faces of 10 portions of said inside reinforcing member and said throat corner portions and said intermediate frame portions, and wooden shoulder laminations on the face of said racket extending down the shoulders to and terminating adjacent said holding members the grain of which extends substantially perpendicular to the grain of said holding members.

2. A playing racket main frame embodying a curved bow head, a handle, and intermediate portions between said bow head and handle, a throat member between said intermediate portions of said frame, a reinforcing member inside the said curved bow head and extending above and united to the top edge of said throat member, the upper portions of said throat member extending sidewise and terminating in corner portions between said intermediate frame portions and said inside reinforcing member and being reduced in width towards said corner por- 3D tions thereby leaving joints between said inside reinforcing member and said frame intermediate portions, strengthening and holding members extending across the faces of portions of said inside reinforcing member and said throat corner portions and said intermediate frame portions the grain of which holding members likewise extends across as aforesaid, and shoulder laminations on the face of said racket extending down the shoulders to said holding members the grain of which shoulder 'laminations likewise extendsdownwardly.

3. A playing racket main frame embodying a curved bow head, a handle, and intermediate portions between said bow head and handle, a throat if; member between intermediate portions of said frame, a reinforcing member inside the said curved bow head and extending above and united to the top edge of said throat member, the upper 'portions of said throat member extending 5g sidewise and terminating in corner portions between said intermediate frame portions and said inside reinforcing member and being reduced in width towards said corner portions thereby leaving joints between said inside reinforcing member and said frame intermediate portions, holding members extending across the faces of portions of said inside reinforcing member and said throat corner portions and said intermediate frame portions the grain of which holding members likewise extends across as aforesaid, and shoulder laminations on the face of said racket extending down the shoulders to said holding members the grain of which shoulder laminations likewise extends downwardly, said holding G5 members being longer in a direction across as aforesaid than in the direction said shoulders take and of such size as to leave upper intermediate face portions of said throat member uncovered by said holding members.

Gij

HORACE lV. HALL. 

